1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical examination gloves. In particular, the present invention is related to disposable medical examination gloves used in medical examinations wherein a first glove is placed on one hand of a medical examiner and a second glove is placed over the first glove.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical examination gloves are well known in the art. Such gloves are elastic and stretch outward when the hand of the medical examiner is inserted therein to insure a snug fit over the fingers, thumb, palm, and wrist of the medical examiner. Various polymeric materials well known in the art are used to form medical examination gloves.
Medical examination procedures are common in which a first glove is placed on a hand of the medical examiner and a second glove is placed over the first glove. Such procedures are commonly referred to as “double gloving”.
The two most common medical examinations utilizing double gloving are digital medical examinations associated with gastrointestinal endoscopy and gynecological examinations. In gastrointestinal endoscopy examinations, an initial digital examination is performed to the rectum prior to placement of the endoscope in the rectum. The top glove is then removed to expose the clean first or bottom glove used to perform the endoscopy procedure. In gynecological examinations, an initial digital examination is made of the vaginal vault. The top glove is then removed to expose the clean first or bottom glove and a digital rectal examination is made with the clean glove.
Difficulty is encountered in placing a typical five digit glove over the top of the first glove placed on the hand of the medical examiner. The coefficient of friction between the five digit top glove and the bottom five digit glove prevents the top glove from sliding easily over the bottom glove. The top glove sticks to the bottom glove, requiring the top glove to be carefully aligned with the bottom glove, and each digit of the top glove must be carefully forced over the corresponding digit of the bottom glove. Often, to expedite placement of the top glove over the bottom glove, the medical examiner will only insert the digits necessary for performing the first medical exam into the top glove, such as the thumb, index finger, and the middle finger. The other two fingers in the bottom glove, the little finger and the ring finger, are not inserted into the top glove, and the ring finger and little finger sections of the top glove are left flopping or pulled into the palm with the thumb. The most important digits to be used in the rectal or vaginal exam prior to discarding the top glove are the thumb, index finger, and middle finger.
Exemplary of the related art are the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,916,757; 4,534,066; 2,847,676; and 2,083,604; and U.S. Patent Application Publication US.